Morsi appeals death sentence in Egyptian court

Defence lawyers file appeal against death sentence and prison term for deposed Egyptian president.

Mohamed Morsi
Morsi told a court earlier this month that he had stopped eating out of fears for his life [AP]

The defence for ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi has filed an appeal against a death sentence and life-in-prison term for the former leader, a lawyer says.

“We submitted an appeal to the Court of Cassation to all prisoners sentenced, including Morsi,” his lawyer Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsud told the AFP news agency on Saturday.

Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically-elected president who was toppled by the army in 2013, was first sentenced to death in May for allegedly participating in a prison break and violence against police, and to life in prison for espionage.

Egypt upholds death sentence against Morsi

An Egyptian court upheld the death sentence against the former leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in June for the alleged offences during the 2011 uprising against former president, Hosni Mubarak.

The court had consulted Egypt’s grand mufti, the government interpreter of Islamic law who plays an advisory role.

Abstaining from food

Earlier this month, Morsi, who has been in prison since he was ousted from power in 2013, told a court that he had stopped eating out of fears for his life.

During the resumption of the trial on charges of espionage and leaking classified documents, he said the food that was given to him on July 21 and 22 was going to lead to “a major crime”.

Morsi called on the court to give him access to doctors, saying he was suffering from worrying low blood sugar levels.

The court ordered a medical examination be performed on him.

Hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood members have been sentenced to death in a crackdown following Morsi’s overthrow. Most have won retrials.

Egypt was criticised internationally after it upheld Morsi’s death sentence with the US, its military ally, calling it “deeply troubling” and “politically motivated”.

The UN chief also expressed concern, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the verdicts against Morsi and leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood as “a massacre of law and basic rights”.

Officers sentenced

Meanwhile, on Sunday an Egyptian military court sentenced 26 officers on charges of attempting to overthrow the government.

The officers were also charged with spreading Muslim Brotherhood ideas within the army.

They were sentenced to between 10 and 25 years in prison.

Another two senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders were also sentenced to 25 years in absentia.

 

Source: Al Jazeera, News Agencies